Originally published on October 15, 2013
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An explosion at a luxury hotel located in the heart of Myanmar's commercial capital wounded an American woman late on Monday (October 14). The blast reportedly was caused by a time bomb.

It was reported that the explosion took place just after midnight in one of the guestrooms on the ninth floor of the 22-story Trader's Hotel in downtown Yangon. It blew out a window in the guestroom, shooting shards of thick glass more than 30 meters into the street.

According to reports, the device was a time bomb attached to a clock and was planted in the bathroom inside the guest room. There were no other visible signs of damage to the exterior of the building.

A 43-year-old American woman was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Her husband and two young children, aged 5 and 7, were unharmed.

According to reports, a 27-year-old Myanmar man who had previously stayed in the hotel room where the blast occurred was detained by police.

Reuters said: "The explosion late on Monday was part o a coordinated series of bomb attacks across Myanmar by an 'organised group', targeting tourist haunts, a Buddhist temple and other public places. It was the seventh blast since Friday and was followed by two more explosions early on Tuesday.

"Soon after the bomb went off at the Traders in Yangon, another device exploded in the parking lot of the Shwe Pyitsone Hotel in Sagaing region and another at a pagoda. There were no casualties.

"The bomb attacks are the latest violence in a year that has seen the euphoria over democratic reforms give way to sectarian attacks that have spread across Myanmar, also known as Burma."